The Spores - Imagine The Future

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Can The Spores become the masters of puppet rock?

By Chad Grischow

Do you remember how cool it looked to see Animal jam out on the drums during The Muppet Show? If you were a fan of puppet rock bands as a kid, The Spores might be right up your alley. This Los Angeles based rock trio are puppets; at least when seen live. The Spores turn their eclectic blend of rock, techno, and pop into performance art when playing live, using puppets as characters to bring their songs to life. Their wavy blend of music translates mostly well on Imagine The Future, proving that an appreciation of puppets is not necessary to appreciate The Spores.

Led by singer and bassist Molly McGuire, The Spores have a sound that is parts Erotica era Madonna and parts Garbage. When the band takes both parts and blends them together the results work. When they opt to either just rock out or just focus on danceable beats, the results are more varied. The issue with the album is that The Spores do not sound as though they are sure which direction they want to take the project; resulting in a disjointed album.

Imagine The Future gains steam quickly by frontloading many of the album's best cuts. Opening with the spacey dance rocker "Mandibles", McGuire's sugary vocals charm listeners through the odd introduction to the album. Sweet pop song, "(Don't) Kill Yourself" is the most addictive on the album, with its guitar crashing chorus and ironic anti-suicide message. On the heels of the Garbage inspired "Kill", McGuire and gang shift into dreamy Madonna territory for "Moon Shine Down". Sounding as though it would be at home on an early '90s Madonna album, "Moon" weaves its sexy hooks into listeners' ears with a slinking distorted bass line and wavy keys.

Unfortunately, The Spores waste the built up momentum when they reach "Imagine The Future". The space age dance tune, with oddly collapsing and expanding house dance beat, is the first of several strange dance tracks that derail Future. Whether the '80s handheld videogame sounds of "Big Brother," the horrifically distorted vocals and guitars of the disorganized "El Matador", or the Prince like rapping on "Entwined Like Lovers", The Spores try a little too hard to experiment with their sound. Despite computer effects vocals that sound as though coming from a mouse, The Spores do win with the electro "Love My Mind", as a furious high-hat dance beat slams listeners into submission.

Ultimately, Imagine The Future is as odd as walking into a concert and seeing a puppet show. At times, the album works wonderfully and really captures listener's ears and imagination. At other times, The Spores drift into odd spacey dance jams that disrupt the momentum gained by the enchanting numbers. The uneven listen may work on an iPod, as something you will select the occasional solid cuts and skip the fat. Unfortunately, it is too uneven as an album.